It’s somewhat appropriate that I start the Memphis portion of my curbside career with a find that’s a block away. And no, Elvis did not own this, as far as I know….

Like ‘the King,’ this Mark’s eyes have been semi-permanently dilated for at least the two years I’ve seen it sitting here. It still looks good, considering it started out as a way to spread out the tooling costs of the Thunderbird. While Virgil Exner may have had the sense that the Great Brougham Epoch was coming with his revivals, Hank ‘the deuce’ Ford and Lee Iacocca knew what would sell, and more importantly, weren’t sitting on the sidelines after presiding over some ‘plucked chickens’.

Iacocca went on record in 1984 as counting this as his greatest hit over the Mustang (one wonders what he would say now, as the minivan was still in its infancy) due to the fact that the Mark lifted Lincoln into a solid contender in the personal luxury field.

And they had the good sense to ignore the 1958 Mark III (and here) as an aberration and start over. They were rewarded by nearly tying the Eldorado in sales with 23,333 units. Not bad for a re-bodied Thunderbird.

For 1970, the vinyl roof was made standard, the windshield wipers were concealed, and the federally mandated ignition lock made its debut, although sales declined to 21,000. In 1971, high-back buckets and tinted windows were made standard, and 27,000 sales were recorded.

While the Mark IV appeared in 1972, the Mark III set the theme for Lincoln styling for a good thirty years by marrying Elwood Engel’s crisp styling from 1961 with a faux Rolls-Royce grill and adding the continental ‘hump’ that would become the Mark’s calling card. And its influence is still felt – look at Lincoln’s naming scheme with the models being MKC, MKX, MKT, MKS, and MKZ (MK= Mark). The only holdout is the now hoary Navigator, which has avoided becoming the MKN or MKU largely because it appeals to a more traditional audience.

I wonder about the folks in Dearborn who are trying to keep Lincoln from putting both feet in the grave by casting allusions to the 1940’s in their styling, ignoring the fact that it was in the 1970’s and 1980’s that Henry Leland’s second brain child gave the first, the self-procliamed ‘Standard of the World’, a run for its money. To me, it feels eerily like the ‘Not your Father’s Oldsmobile’ campaign in its attempt to run away from an era now associated with tackiness. Sometimes you need to embrace the past to get to future, even if that past conjures up polyester dresses, leisure suits, disco balls, and vinyl roofs.

Ah, yes, auto porn at its finest. I love that scene where the car strippers circle the burned out city block in the rusty old white Galaxie while the shiny Mark III stands there, like Joanie in Mad Men, about to be mugged.

Too bad this CC is in that color combination, one of the least attractive. These cars look best in the darker colors.

I remember that scene, they are watching the Mark all night, all the other cars on the street leave, and there is that Mark, all alone in a bad neighborhood, I remember all the steam venting out through the grates….I always liked the scene where they are watching Sal and his “associates” leave the night club, the 1970 Coupe de Ville, and Sal’s 1971 LTD, later Hackman and Scheider follow the LTD through Times Square.

I didn’t think that the first car coming from the factory with radial tires was an American car. So I researched a little and found this:
Lancia was the first, specifying the Michelin X tyre as exclusive factory equipment on their new Aurelia.

But it appears an American invented the radial tire:
The first radial tire designs were patented in 1915 by Arthur W. Savage, a tire manufacturer and inventor in San Diego, CA. Savage’s patents expired in 1949. The design was further developed and commercialized by Michelin.

I picked up this nifty dealer/salesman’s “facts and features manual” on the Mark III at a swap meet years ago. The “firsts” it lists as bragging points for the car are:

• First domestic car with triple-coat production for the front grille.
• First to offer two different simulated wood-tone appliques harmonizing with interior schemes.
• First engine designed from drawing board up with emission control as an element of the original design.
• First production engine with diamond burnishing of crankshaft thrust surfaces.
• First in field with integral microelectronic voltage regulator.
• Only car in field with crankshaft-driven power steering hydraulic pump.
• First in field with integral electric windshield washer pump mounted in bottom of reservoir.
• First in field with a central vacuum distributing system for vacuum-powered controls.
• First passenger car in regular production with long-shear 100% nylon deep cut-pile carpeting.

The whole booklet is written in this wonderful hype that is such fun to read today. Some of these features no doubt make the car a bloody nightmare to repair/restore.

The Ford of France tire engineer posted to Dearborn to interface with the Michelin suppliers tried to be reimbursed for a prostitute by putting it on his expense report. His american supervisor rejected it asking him why he expected Ford Motor Company to pay for such services. The French engineer explained that expenses need not necessarily be limited to room and board because as a French man, he had certain “needs”. (True story via Dick Rader, Ford Brake Engineer.)

The ancestor to my town cars but a car that seemingly couldn’t pass a gas station. The eighties LTC with the 302 is going to stay a favorite but I don’t want one of these. Good find though and interesting read.

I live in Memphis and actually called about this very car two or three weeks ago because I wanted to buy it. It’s not for sale, unfortunately. (Or fortunately, if you ask my wife.) it belonged to a guy’s father, and when his father passed away he had it towed to Memphis from Pennsylvania. The gas tank was rusted out, and while the rusty one was pulled out someone (probably a scrapper) took off with it. You can buy a new fuel tank for a Continental from these years, but apparently no one makes an aftermarket Mk III tank. Apparently it runs fine–it just doesn’t have a gas tank.

If it sits there another few months I might have to call ’em again. I love Mk III’s, and I was having all kinds of fantasies about riding around in this one.

As far as Lincoln goes they tarted up the Fusion as the entry level car. But the Towncar was a tarted up Panther and the Continental was a tarted up Taurus. And that Lexus you are referring to is a tarted up Camry.

I am o.k. with tarting up a great platform to make it a luxury vehicle. It helps making luxury affordable.

The new MKZ stands a chance as there are enough detail/sheetmetal changes that differentiate it from the Fusion . . . which the previous generation did not . . . .

Doesn’t change the fact that Lincoln really needs a full-on effort in a RWD car that has distinctive styling . . . . I still think they should come out with a Continental based upon the lines of the 2002 Continental show car . . . except with the Aussie Falcon platform R.I.P., ‘stretch’ a Mustang platform and use the 3.7 V-6, the new for ’15 EcoBoost Four or the 5.0 425hp V-8 as engine choices.

Either that, or just let the Lincoln line peter-out like ’65 and ’66 Studebakers and let it die a quiet death . .

What a find. I never see Mark IIIs around here anymore. Even new they were a rare sight so it was a treat to have one come up in traffic or at a parking lot.

Like CA Guy says the Mark was like pornography — you looked everywhere because there was so much to see. The long hood and doors. The five square openings in the dash. The diamond quilted patterns on the doors and seats. The perfectly placed pinstripes. The twill pattern of the vinyl top and of course… that grille and booty out back. A peek under the skirt would show a true dual exhaust system, just like the Mach 1 had. She was beautiful and could cook too 🙂

The first time I sat in one as a kid I noticed several things that were different from my grandpa’s Cadillac. The power door locks were vacuum operated and whisper quiet. The power seat motors were quieter. The leather was softer. The ashtrays had these tiny lights in them. The rear armrests had a switch for the window and another one for the courtesy lights. That seemed so high-tech back then, to have an extra switch for a light.

I was fascinated by the car and its short three year run just added to the mystique. Didn’t realize the sales volume was so low until I read your article.

I have never ridden in one and am afraid to now for fear of being disappointed. That’s how it can be with pornography.

I like the original Zephyr and Mark I as much as anyone else but neither hold the crown for the definitive Lincoln by a long shot. The Mark III on the other hand is unmistakably and unapologetically LINCOLN.

Lincoln’s… err, Lincoln Motor Company’s (pfft) only success at capturing the 1940s spirit with their current MK range is that the cars all look exactly the same as any other car other than the hideous grilles. Say what you want about fake humps and faux Rolls grilles but they defined that brand far more than the beautiful but subdued 61 Continental did(which is a futile effort to try recapturing now a days since Every luxury make chases the same merits), apply that to a MKZ and I bet no one would be mistaking it for a Oldsmobile revival anymore, that’s for sure.

This was the car thet “made” Lincoln. On one hand it was a cynical reboot of the T-Bird, on the other it was a timely rendition of the classic Continental theme, a Mark II with a dose of practicality. I’ve had one for about 10 years and drive it a lot. It’s soft, fast and very comfortable, gets about 12.5 MPG. It was the first Lincoln that sold with the equivalent Cadillac (Eldorado), easily the top of the status curve in 1970 (imagine a Frenchman driving any other American car!) and the stage setter for the Mark IV and V, which easily surpassed the Eldorado in sales every year. A brilliant marketing take on classic Lincoln themes, compare it to the current attempts to reenergize the brand. Whatever your take on it…Scoreboard! “Come on Herb, what the hell is a rocker panel?”

Stunning, absolutely stunning. I would have it in a heartbeat. Actually there’s a guy here in Palm Springs, a realtor, who has a pristine ’71, it was featured in the Nov. 2012 Hemmings Classic Car magazine. It is a jewel-like emerald green, beautiful car. But I love the dark blue, too, very “presidential,” if you will. You’re right, it was brilliant, and it did make the Lincoln brand at the end of the ’60s, Lincoln would do well to bring back a contemporary rendition. Back in the day, I had to settle for driving my parents’ ’71 Continental coupe, it was close, but no cigar! I hope you enjoy this classic for many years to come.

In total agreement about Lincoln. Right now Lincoln is making huge mistakes. Lincoln does not have a signature that stands out. They really need to look at the 70’s and 80’s Lincolns for inspiration. The Lincoln Mark VIII embodied Lincoln in a contemporary way. The whole 1940’s Lincoln wing grille theme is not working, it looks awkward and it makes the Lincolns look like Mercury’s replacement and they do not stand out at all. The whole theme about luxury is standing out. Oldsmobile should have embraced its past to move forward too. I want to see Lincoln thrive, but they are making too many mistakes. Killing Town Car did not help either. Cadillac got a theme and it works. They are fine tuning it and it is working with each generation. Let’s hope they go back to real names too.

Always liked these, a great combination of brash and subtlety. BTW am I the only person who thinks the original Continental is one of the most overrated cars ever?
I love the lines of the early Zephyr, especially the long tailed coupe. The MkII from the mid fifties is an exercise in pure elegance. The Engle sedans from the sixties were true ground breaking designs and these MK IIIs set the pace for American luxury for a couple of decades.
But the first series? A clumsy Kustom Kar, with questionable engines at best, and the botched post-war face lift puts you in mind of an aging Hollywood starlet, who has visited a second tier plastic surgeon once too often….

I’m in 100% agreement about the original Continental and Zephyr. I never saw what all the fuss was about with the Conti other than it being a lower and longer Zephyr, which I too think was miles more attractive. Frankly I find the Continental coupes not just overrated but legitimately ugly. That roofline is a mess.

Thanks for the positive comments. 98 regency, I’m the former president of the Lincoln & Continental Owners Club and I’ve tried to talk to the “powers to be” at Lincoln, but there’s no indication that they care about our input…too old! We’ve tried to get them to use the heritage (not the history) of the brand to create an image that could stand up to cadillac’s 2 billion dollars and the long standing Mercedes and BMW auras. The Lincoln management personnel change about every two months, none have any Lincoln background and all are totally dedicated to seducing the 30 year olds. There is no modern image that justifies spending $5,000 more for a Ford Fusion. The clock is ticking and it makes me very depressed.

Sad to hear about the revolving door at Lincoln and their attitude towards “old guys”.

Bob Lutz was an old guy when he joined GM. Cadillac had brought back demure fins on the first CTS but it wasn’t until Lutz got there that they had the balls make them stand out. Fins sound ridiculous on an SUV but they totally make the SRX.

I agree with Regency 98 that Lincoln needs to look at the 70s for inspiration. The MIII grille would be a terrific thing to bring back especially with front ends getting more vertical for pedestrian protection. It’s Lincoln’s fin.

It can be done in a completely modern way too, after all the ’69 Mark III grille looked just fine on the aero Mark VII and no one called that a Rolls Royce grille.

Recycling design cues can be risky business of course. Before you pull the trigger ask yourself, honestly, does it look good. It’s not that complicated but does take balls, good taste and above all leadership.

Might just be my browser, but all of the links go to the ’95 Mark VIII article. Is that happening for anyone else?

The Mark III is another car that I’ve got mixed feelings about, but overall I like them quite a bit and think they were the best take on “personal luxury coupe” to come about from the era. A big, Hot Rod Lincoln for a muscle car world. The overall shape is great and I love how many styling elements were carried over from previous Lincolns – the knife-edge slabsides of the ’61 Continental, the pronounced kick-up at the hips from the original Mark II – even the 4 gauge pods in the dash from the Twilight Zone Marks. I wish they’d forgotten to include the faux tire hump, but it’s not the worst. And that grille is a clear nod to… Rolls-Royce? Wait, why?

That’s where I get hung up on them. It actually doesn’t look that bad either, and the effect the raised hood creates along with it when viewed from above is cool as hell (see Glenn Kramer’s photo up above), but it’s still the worst aspect of the whole car as far as I’m concerned. More importantly, I hate all the 30s retro garbage that the Mark III – and that grille, specifically – helped to popularize; and although this car itself shouldn’t really be blamed for the poor taste of others, it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth by association. If there hadn’t been a Mark IV and plenty of other imitators, I’d probably be much less put off by it.

Forcing a 40s-inspired grille onto every model is idiotic, but Lincoln is wise to pretend this era never happened. If your DNA is fake Rolls grilles and fake tire humps, you need to throw the book out the window and start over.

On a brighter note, last week I spotted a ’69 Mark III that I assumed had perished in Hurricane Sandy. It always used to be parked in this spot, which was under several feet of water during the storm, and disappeared immediately afterwards. It clearly wasn’t restored or anything in the meantime, so I guess it was just hiding from me and the owner had moved it to higher ground before the water came in. The building in the background is a ConEd substation that sustained an awesome explosion due to the flooding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX0sbp1hK-A (no one was injured) and I believe the owner of this car owns a Mark IV that’s always parked around the corner too. This is a daily driver and shows plenty of wear and tear, but it still looks damn good. I agree with the other comment saying these cars really need dark colors to look right. The navy blue color on Glenn Kramer’s is one of my favorites along with the red.

As I mentioned above, I think the 72 MkIV works best, but each to their own. I don’t have a problem with the pronounced grille, without it there would be no real focus for the styling. RR still use it, and it works on their current cars. I can’t see why it can’t be used on any future Lincoln models if done well. Their heritage is their heritage, even if it was borrowed at the time. It’s not as if RR invented it, it was the convention of most prewar cars. The thing I personally would be looking to keep is the long hood/short deck of the II and the IV. There’s a fine line between retro and reference.

I never liked how high the rear deck got on the Mark IV, it makes the car look too fat, the Eldorado packed on the pounds at the same time, but the lower deck and more pronounced cut between the roof and trunk makes it look longer and leaner.

IMO, the Mark IV was typical of all American cars during that time – too bloated, too soft and too Superfly. The ’72 model is interesting with the original bumpers the car was meant to wear, and its front end is a bazillion times more attractive than the ’73-’76 models because of it, but I still see it as a significant downgrade from the III. They lost the muscular stance and sharp lines, and the body on the Mark IV now looked very similar to the T-Bird beyond the front and rear treatments. Both suffered from the typical 70s Ford narrow track/wide body “elephant balancing on medicine ball” look.

Maybe it’s not even the grille specifically, but Ford just didn’t make many pretty faces during the 70s. I’m looking at a picture of a ’76 Mercury Cougar right now and it’s making the Mark IV look like the sexiest car ever built in comparison.

I think they would have an extremely hard time trying to integrate an upright grille on any current or near-future model. The trend right now is towards wide grilles and previous efforts have been a mixed bag at best. I like how they did it on the Mark VII and that’s my favorite Mark of the entire series, but I can’t imagine how that would translate to a modern car. The ’90-’97 Town Car didn’t look bad either, but when they tried to carry that feature over to the next generation TC it ended up looking not so great. The last of the Town Cars, using what was essentially a conventional grille, looked much better.

I suppose the below pic best demonstrates the difference between retro and reference. Don DeLaRossa’s proposal for the MkIV. Those wheelarch fender contours are moving towards the truly comical. (Collectible Automobile Apr 2005)

Yeah, but when people wanted to pimp-up their Caddy in Les Dunham crap chrome during the 70s, what did they usually do to if? Lincolnize it, complete with Lincoln “Rolls” grille and fake continental trunk bump.

I don’t like that aftermarket Superfly crap, but I do like the Lincoln styling from this time period. I think it really sets it apart, and really established some uniquely “Lincoln” styling. Lincoln today would do well to put something out that borrowed from this time period rather than giving a little hat tip to some styling cues that only people like the commentariat here would even get.

I mean, if what made the 70s Continentals was what was wrong with them, what would you have had them make-something like today’s silver jellybeans?

Well, that’s the thing – I don’t really know how they could have done these cars differently without making them look significantly more anonymous at the same time. I looked at a whole bunch of ’70s Ford grilles just now and while all of them are pretty ugly (to my eyes, anyway) the Lincolns certainly do have some kind of presence to them. I can’t get into the Mark IV, but I’ve always kinda liked the ginormous Town Car/Town Coupe from the same era. Just in case it wasn’t clear, I do really like the Mark III, too.

I think Lincoln’s current identity crisis is much bigger than a chrome grille. The baleen whale look is ridiculous and I can’t believe they’ve been so adamant about applying it across the board (have you seen the new Navigator??) but ultimately, I think the real problem boils down to two key factors:

A) In Mercury’s absence, they’ve become Mercury. All Lincolns at this point are clearly just nicer Fords… and while some would say that’s all Lincolns have ever been, there’s no question they did a much better job disguising this fact on the RWD cars of days gone by. Even up to the last Panther Crown Vics and Town Cars, there were still enough intangibles that clearly made one a Ford and one a Lincoln.

B) Lincoln does not jive at all with the direction Ford is taking their North American operations. Ford has done extremely well European-ifying their American cars, which is great in some ways because the cars they’re selling right now are their best in a long time. The downside is that it’s made them believe they should standardize platforms and models across all continents, and using that tactic, there’s just no way a Lincoln is ever going to be anything more than a dressed up Fords we’ve already got. Too expensive, too little volume, limited appeal outside of North America. Ford Australia has been another casualty. They may ultimately be successful going this route, but Lincoln won’t survive… and personally, I think it’s a disaster waiting to happen.

Beyond the dumb grille, I actually think most current Lincolns are fairly attractive and appealing cars – only because the Fords they’re based on are attractive and appealing cars, though.

As to Lincoln now, yes, they need more than a new grille. However, I did think it odd they tried to shoot for the circa 1940 Lincoln grille-which I think looks ugly in the original let alone in a revamp.

I was just talking to the wife about this-how what we consider “luxury” cars these days seem more like an upper tier trim package rather than anything really different. I know it really isn’t as simple as saying an XTS is “just” an Impala, or an MKS is “just” a Taurus, or a Lexus is “just” a Toyota because there is more than just an aesthetic change but at the same time, that is what it seems.

Sean Cornelis

Posted April 14, 2014 at 4:58 PM

The retro-OG Continental grille is a mess. It’s not even Lincoln alone that has this problem, though – theirs is just more pronounced. The big thing for many years now is that everyone wants an immediately recognizable grille across the board on all models, even if it’s something hideous. I thought that crossbar Chevy grille was awful, too and I’m glad to see they’re finally moving away from it (as if a huge bowtie wasn’t recognizable enough?? come on… the new Impala grille is classic and simple. Hopefully they use something more along those lines in the future).

The XTS, MKS and whatever Lexus you’re thinking of are all fine cars as far as I’m concerned. Given the cost of developing a new vehicle nowadays, platform sharing is inevitable for all except the priciest manufacturers. I even think Lincoln has done a good job with what they’ve got in this respect. The big difference for me is that the XTS and Lexus share a showroom with cars you can’t buy lesser versions of in a Chevy or Toyota dealership. That sounds like such abstract nonsense, but I think it actually does mean a great deal whether it’s something the average car buyer actively thinks about or not. The CTS makes the XTS a more appealing car and the (incredibly low volume) Lexus LS makes the ES a more appealing car, even to people who don’t realize it.

What’s funny to me about the whole thing is that when Lincoln was really murdering Cadillac in the mid-80s, they were doing the same exact thing Cadillac is doing to them right now. I’ve always thought it was a mistake for the Big Three to move away from RWD platforms entirely. They’re never going to do the volume they did back in the glory days, but there’s just something “right” about a RWD American sedan that really resonates with people, even beyond the US.

Fixing Lincoln seems incredibly simple to me – re-introduce something substantially “Lincoln” (if you build it they will commeeeeeeee!) – but I don’t think Ford has any interest in doing that.

dominic1955

Posted April 14, 2014 at 6:54 PM

Its the halo car effect-I think it does play a part because there are probably more people that think like that than think of them as upper tier trim levels. Point of fact, I drove a few year old LS 460L the other day and it certainly put Lexus on my radar to a degree it never was before. Damn it was nice, not something that makes sense for me to own at all, but it sure was a hell of a ride.

I agree that Lincoln and Caddy should have kept some sort of RWD Broughamy car in the line up. While the Town Car or last Fleetwood were getting long in the tooth, had they continued the development they could have had something. Maybe they could have made them into that sort of halo car that Lexus and others are making. Who knows, its easy to play armchair CEO.

I don’t get it when people call the MIII grille a Rolls Royce grille. The Rolls grille in ’69 was the one on the Shadow which was tall, flat and had a pitched “roof”. it looked like the parthenon.

The MIII grille is short, V-shaped in plan view, has a flat top and narrow vanes. Stylistically I think the intention was more retro 30s (like the outside spare tire gesture) than RR. The hood ornaments are completely different.

Marketing is marketing and I’m sure Lee had no problem with RR association, much to the chagrin of the designers. “Put a Rolls grille on it” was a great story.

Up to that point few automakers besides Rolls Royce were making cars with that style grille anymore, hence the incessant references to it. Though I don’t think Lincoln set out to copy it either, I’d actually say Ford’s current “Aston Martin grille” is a more blatant copy of a premium design.

Plus car designers always borrowed ideas from other companies and eras, the Mark III was hardly the first or last. Heck GM borrowed tons of Rolls Royce cues in the same period, even more extensively than Lincoln really.

I know that my father’s car had Sure Track, even though it only had an AM radio. Could we have had the last Lincoln with an AM-only radio in the U.S.? Very possibly. He was very confident of Sure Track’s abilities in slick weather. If I remember correctly, a red “Sure Track” light would come on when the system engaged.

Seems like a false start. I have ’67 Ford brochures that mention the radial option, but I just assumed it was something that made it to print before the idea was shelved. I wonder if they sold any?
1970 MK-IIIs and T-Birds are the earliest Ford products I can recall with radials, although to thier credit, they were included in the 1972 mid-year Maverick and Comet LDO. My parents had one, with beefy-for-the-time ER70-14s made by BF Goodrich, with a real aggressive blocky tread pattern. At 43,000 miles they still had good tread.

A ’69 MkIII was the last new car my dad bought. He hated it so much (I’m not sure why), he traded his brother straight up about 4 months after he bought it for a nearly identical colored Cadillac Sedan De Ville. They were both that awful Avocado green that was popular back then. He loved the Caddy, and his brother liked the Lincoln, he still had it when he died 4 years later. The Caddy was a very good car for my dad, as he had it four years, until he passed out while driving home one morning from work. He hit a telephone pole, and a transformer exploded, causing the power to go out over most of the South end of Toledo for several hours. Somehow, the only injuries he had were a broken nose a cut lip and a couple of loose teeth. The car was totalled, of course. The throttle stuck open and it tossed a rod. His insurance was cancelled, and the next day, I got my license, becoming my dad’s driver.

I have written before about my father’s 70 Mark III. The car was a constant parade of problems and failures but he still loved it. His 72 Mark IV was a much better car.

I remember those Michelin X radials as a really big deal in 1970. They were undoubtedly key in providing the smooth, silent ride that made these so popular.

I came close to buying one of these in the late 80s. A beautiful car owned by an elderly guy. I didnt really care for the ivy green and was seduced by a 61 Tbird that turned out to be a much bigger project than I could handle. Shouldda bought the Lincoln.

Great discussion, guys. The point here isn’t whether you think the grill or the hump looks good here in 2014, it went through the roof in 1968. The combination of the long hood, the grill and the kick up at the rear fenders made the look unique, the spare tire hump had to be there (remember the Mk II and the original Continental), fortunately the T-Bird platform didn’t allow placement of the spare inside the hump, blocking access to the trumk a la Mk II. Again, for the times, it was a tremendous success and raised Lincoln to the top notch. I will tell you that driving one of these cars today, even to the store creares a feeling of “special” that just doesn’t exist in modern cars.

My uncle drove one of these. All black inside and out. I’m not sure about the year. He got rear-ended in a toll plaza line on the Garden State Parkway not long after buying it. That car was destroyed, but it saved his life.

I’m sure that they played havoc with aerodynamics, but I sure miss drip rails above the windshields of my modern cars. They eliminated much of the need to run the wipers at the first few stop signs on a dewey morning. Now, every time there is water on the roof, it comes cascading down over the windshield for the first few stops.

I think it’s one of those extra things that they could afford to do because of the price point. It hardens up the leading edge of the roof which helps separate it from the mass market personal coupes. It also makes the car look like an expensive convertible with its top up. Classy.